Google’s first major U.S. Play Store policy changes after Epic’s antitrust victory took effect on October 29, 2025. Google said developers serving U.S. users could tell people about app availability and prices outside Play, link to external downloads and transactions, and use in-app payment methods other than Google Play Billing. The change was part of a broader U.S. court order that also addressed rival app stores and Google’s distribution deals; it was not a worldwide redesign of Play.
What changed for U.S. developers and users?
Google’s Play policy page says the October 29, 2025 changes applied to mobile and tablet apps serving users in the United States. They relaxed three restrictions on how developers could promote, distribute and charge for apps.
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Developers could communicate about options outside Play
Google said it would no longer prohibit developers from telling users that an app was available outside Google Play or communicating its outside price. Developers could also link users to external app downloads and transactions. This concerned what developers could communicate and link to; it did not mean an app listed on Play would automatically become available for download from another store.
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Developers could use alternative in-app payment methods
Google said developers could offer in-app payment methods other than Google Play Billing and tell users that those options were available. It also said developers would not have to charge a different price depending on whether a user paid through Play Billing. Google’s announcement describes the policy it implemented; it does not establish that every alternative payment method would be free of fees or other program requirements.
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- Google Play gift codes can be used on the Google Play Store, the official app store for Android, to purchase apps, games, and more.
- To redeem, enter code in the Play Store app or play.google.com.
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What did the injunction require beyond billing?
The October 7, 2024 permanent injunction in In re Google Play Store Antitrust Litigation was broader than the later payment and external-link policy changes. It applied in the United States and addressed practices that the court found insulated Google Play and Play Billing from competition.
Limits on certain distribution and preinstallation arrangements
The order restricted certain exclusive distribution and preinstallation arrangements. The Ninth Circuit’s 2025 opinion described the injunction as addressing arrangements that insulated Play from competing stores, including restrictive launch or preinstallation deals and revenue-sharing arrangements with competing store entrants.
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- No returns and no refunds on gift cards. Good for use on the US Google Play Store only. Terms apply - see below.
- Google Play gift codes can be used on the Google Play Store, the official app store for Android, to purchase apps, games, and more.
- To redeem, enter code in the Play Store app or play.google.com.
- Endless games to explore: Find and play old and new favorites – from mind-bending puzzles to epic quests and more.
- Just the app you’re looking for: Millions of apps means millions of ways to get things done, learn something new, and maybe even meet someone special.
Access to Play’s app catalog and distribution through Play
The injunction required Google to provide third-party Android stores access to the Play app catalog and barred Google from preventing third-party stores from being distributed through Google Play. The order allowed reasonable safety, security and content requirements, and contemplated that developers could opt out of catalog access. These remedies had their own implementation periods and duration terms, distinct from the injunction’s other provisions.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The Ninth Circuit upheld the verdict and injunction on September 12, 2025. The U.S. Supreme Court docket records that Google’s request for a partial stay was denied on October 6, 2025. Those developments left the injunction in force when Google announced its October policy changes.
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- No returns and no refunds on gift cards. Good for use on the US Google Play Store only. Terms apply - see below.
- Google Play gift codes can be used on the Google Play Store, the official app store for Android, to purchase apps, games, and more.
- To redeem, enter code in the Play Store app or play.google.com.
- Endless games to explore: Find and play old and new favorites – from mind-bending puzzles to epic quests and more.
- Just the app you’re looking for: Millions of apps means millions of ways to get things done, learn something new, and maybe even meet someone special.
Can Android users install rival app stores from Google Play?
The injunction required Google to allow third-party app stores to be distributed through Play, subject to the order’s safeguards. Google says its U.S. Play Catalog Access and Third-party App Store on Play programs took effect on July 22, 2026. Under Google’s current policy page, third-party stores could sign up for catalog access, and interested store platforms could begin onboarding to the distribution program.
That is a program-level change, not a guarantee that every rival store or app is available to every user. The injunction permits safety and content measures, and the policy page describes the programs as applying in the United States. It should not be read as a global change to Play or as confirmation that a particular store has completed onboarding.
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- No returns and no refunds on gift cards. Good for use on the US Google Play Store only. Terms apply - see below.
- Google Play gift codes can be used on the Google Play Store, the official app store for Android, to purchase apps, games, and more.
- To redeem, enter code in the Play Store app or play.google.com.
- Endless games to explore: Find and play old and new favorites – from mind-bending puzzles to epic quests and more.
- Just the app you’re looking for: Millions of apps means millions of ways to get things done, learn something new, and maybe even meet someone special.
How did Google’s implementation develop?
Google’s policy page gives the following dates for its U.S. implementation and related reporting:
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| October 7, 2024 | The district court entered the permanent injunction. |
| September 12, 2025 | The Ninth Circuit upheld the injunction, a date also identified on Google’s policy page. |
| October 6, 2025 | The Supreme Court denied Google’s partial-stay application. |
| October 29, 2025 | Google says its U.S. policy changes on external communications, links and alternative in-app billing took effect for mobile and tablet apps serving U.S. users. |
| March 4, 2026 | Google says it and Epic entered a new settlement agreement and asked the district court to enter a revised injunction. |
| July 22, 2026 | Google says its U.S. Play Catalog Access and Third-party App Store on Play programs took effect. |
| October 1, 2026 | Google’s policy page says relevant service-fee reporting for participants in alternative billing and external content link programs starts on this date. |
| December 1, 2026 | Google’s policy page sets this as the date external content link reporting for successful downloads is extended to. |
As of October 4, 2026, the December 1 reporting milestone is still in the future. Google’s policy page says the current policies and programs remain in effect while the parties await further action on their request for a revised injunction.
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What is the status of the proposed Google–Epic settlement?
Google says it and Epic entered a new settlement agreement on March 4, 2026 and asked the district court to replace or revise parts of the injunction. That request is not the same as a court-approved modification. Google’s current policy page says existing policies and programs remained in effect while the parties awaited further action; the available account does not establish that the court had approved the revised injunction by October 4, 2026.
A January 2026 amicus brief from the Federal Trade Commission described proposed changes involving billing presentation, fee caps, preinstallation terms and external links, as well as removing some catalog-access and rival-store distribution provisions. The FTC did not take a position on whether the court should grant the motion. It urged the court to scrutinize the proposal’s effect on competition and the public interest. These were descriptions and concerns about a proposal, not findings in a final ruling.
| Issue | Entered injunction | Later settlement request |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Permanent injunction entered October 7, 2024 and upheld by the Ninth Circuit in 2025. | Google and Epic asked the district court for a revised injunction on March 4, 2026; Google says the existing programs remained in effect pending further action. |
| Rival-store access and distribution | Required catalog access and distribution of third-party stores through Play, with safeguards and separate implementation and duration terms. | The FTC said the proposal would remove some catalog-access and rival-store distribution provisions; it was not a final court order. |
| Billing and fees | Barred mandatory Play Billing, among other remedies. | The FTC described proposed changes to billing presentation and fee caps. The materials available by October 4, 2026 do not establish those changes as approved terms. |
Why did Google and the court describe the case differently?
Google argued in an October 2024 public statement that the injunction could put privacy and security at risk, make app promotion harder for developers and reduce competition on devices. Google also said Android users already had ways to obtain apps outside Play, including direct downloads and other stores. Those are Google’s arguments, not court findings.
The appellate opinion explained the court’s rationale as restoring competition in Android app distribution and billing and preventing arrangements that insulated Play from rivals. In upholding the remedies, the Ninth Circuit quoted the district court’s description of them as remedies that “closely track the evidence of anticompetitive conduct at trial.”
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